The major achievement for Kenneth Branagh is that, without losing the integrity of the play, he has turned Shakespeare's Hamlet into a film, an epic, big-screen film.
And by including all the words Shakespeare wrote, Branagh puts the play into its historical and political setting. This is a time when intrigue and distrust reign just as hard outside the castle as inside.
This Elsinore is a lavish, gold-plated palace with mirrored walls and luxurious rooms. Here it is that Hamlet is pointed by the ghost of his father to seek revenge; and here it is that Claudius, Polonius and others conspire against the truth.
Some fine acting, especially from Derek Jacobi as Claudius (who almost makes us feel sorry for the rogue usurper), Kate Winslet as Ophelia, and Richard Briers, who turns Polonius into a scheming and devious court intriguer.
And of course the cast list includes appearances from an international Who's Who to greater or lesser effect including Billy Crystal, Julie Christie, Gerard Depardieu, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon and Robin Williams.
There are some grand scenes of intimacy - Hamlet's "Get thee to a nunnery" scene as he pushes Ophelia' s face against a one-way mirror while her father and the king look on in fear - and some great epic scenes as at the end when Fortinbras' army storms Elsinore.
This is great stuff indeed, a Hamlet that surpasses any others simply because it is a complete Hamlet.
More than that - it is an intelligent rendering of one of the greatest works of all time. And for those who
seek value for money, here is four hours of glittering and sometimes brilliant cinema for the price of The
Saint. Put that way, it becomes a bargain.
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